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February 9, 2015

It Fits!

I couldn't sleep Saturday night in the hotel. Not only was I on pins and needles about whether the saddle would fit Connor, I kept having nightmares that the saddle was stolen out of my car in the parking lot. Nevermind the fact that Mary's car with 20 CWD saddles in it was parked right next to mine. Thanks, brain.

After an agonizing 5 hour drive, it was time to see if it fit:

Panels make perfect contact with his back all the way back with no bridging...

I can see daylight through the channel, as Mary said I should...

Also, that's my awesome Sunday stall replacement in the background.

Now for width. Mary took me along on a couple of fittings at the show in order to show me what I needed to look for with the CWD Classic tree. She told me not to be surprised if it sat a little high in front when not girthed, and that with this saddle, that does not mean it's too narrow. The tree points are quite short, and the front panels themselves are actually flexible - you can bend them all the way back (looks terrifying!) - in order to give the horse complete freedom of the shoulder.

As a result, it is designed to meld around the horse's back and fit closely when girthed and in use and the panels are flexed, but the standing fit might seem less than ideal unless you know these saddles. She said she regularly has to explain this to people who look at the standing still fit and think they need a wider tree, and she wanted me to know what to look for.

So after several rounds of photos, Mary declared the fit "FREAKIN PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!" (Her words).

My first ride was unbelievable, and really opened my eyes to what my old saddle was doing to my position - but that's a subject for a post later on this week, after I've really had a chance to test it over fences. This is definitely not a flat saddle!